About this role
Job SummaryThe Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) is assigned to a Specialty Mental Health team at the Beckley VAMC. The clinical and program activities assumed under this position are conducted as part of the Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery Program-Enhanced Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (ICMHR/ERANGE). ICMHR/ERANGE is a project of the Northeast Program Evaluation Center and is administered under the direction of the Specialty Care Mental Health Manager.
QualificationsApplicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Education - Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; OR A related field, from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Examples of related mental health counseling fields include but are not limited to Addiction Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling. CACREP defines the date when graduates are considered to have graduated from a CACREP accredited program. Additional information may be obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory/. NOTE: Traditional Rehabilitation counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP do not meet the Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling. Licensure - Must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator), GS-12 Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must have been in a major specialty treatment program area such as, but not limited to, Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mental health intensive case management (MHICM), or other areas of equivalent scope and complexity. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to make professional evaluations, decisions, and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation. Advanced knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the counseling process within various specialty areas, build on the foundation of competence through regular meetings and discussions to explain assignments, review progress of cases and confer about the counseling perspectives and orientation. Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress. Requires independent judgment and skill. Ability to establish goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills, including evidenced- based practices, screening, and psychosocial assessment. Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or family counseling interventions. Ability to fully utilize the current DSM in making diagnoses and formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical intervention using professional counseling practices. Ability to develop and facilitate psychotherapy and psycho- education groups that include life skills, family support, and community integration. This may include evidence based psychotherapy. In depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program. Ability to make key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates. Ability to provide leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults, assessments, admissions, care assignments and discharges. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team. Preferred Experience: Mental Health Experience Preferred Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, standing, bending, and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities, it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where they conduct interviews with the Veterans, their families, representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. The incumbent must possess a current Driver's License and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary.
Major DutiesMajor duties include but are not limited to the following: LPMHC and ICMHR/ERANGE (70%): Screening/Assessment: Develop a psychosocial assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members and significant others. Work with the interdisciplinary treatment team in the development of a treatment plan with the veteran based on this psychosocial assessment. Initial psychosocial assessment/ reassessments will be completed as specified by the policy for the assigned work area Treatment Planning/Goal Setting: Responsible for contributing to the development of the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran and family members/caregiver and other clinical staff. Referral to service providers: Collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs. Responsible for educating the veteran and family members/caregivers of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker Resource Usage/Development: Responsible for using the current Social Work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of veterans. The LPMHC will refer the veteran to needed services. Advocacy: When appropriate and feasible, educate and encourage the veteran to advocate on his/her own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment. Crisis Intervention: Experienced in making independent rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of his/her respective mental health clinic and the facility at the Beckley VA Medical Center Education/Health promotion and prevention: Provide education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans and family members/caregiver to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs Coordination of non-institutional and institutional services: Review the progress notes from other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran enrolled in mental health services. Educate the veteran, their family members/caregiver and the team of all the options available to them and collaborate with the veteran and family members/caregiver on the preferred option Psychotherapy: Provide the veterans and their family members/caregiver with ongoing therapy as needed and/or appropriate. The purpose of such therapy is to deal with the psychosocial impact of coping with severe/complex mental illness(es) to include Substance Abuse Disorder, chronic/disabling illness (es), onset of a catastrophic illness, etc. Discharge/Aftercare planning: Collaboration with multidisciplinary treatment team and other appropriate hospital clinical staff, assist veteran and their family members/caregiver in planning for discharge/aftercare by offering appropriate and viable discharge/aftercare options to the veteran and appropriate family members/caregiver. On-call services: Participate in on-call rotation MHTC 2.0 TASK (30%): Provide a full range of services within commonly accepted standards of practice and prioritizes care coordination activities as the primary job function [e.g., needs assessment, chart reviews, care or case management (as needed), discharge planning, outreach, etc.] and other services as appropriate. Responsible for reviewing the BHIP Care Coordination dashboard. Responsible for completing local and national reports for the MHTC 2.0 program. Conduct biopsychosocial assessments to determine care coordination and treatment needs of Veterans. Active participant in the treatment planning process with other disciplines. Act as liaison between VA and community resources, to include education and bidirectional communication that promotes seamless care. Document interventions and activities in patient's electronic health record and ensure appropriate hand-off communication and documentation when transferring patient care. Maintain familiarity and share responsibility with other team members for performance measures relevant to the BHIP and Specialty team. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc as determined by Agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 517-260504-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not AuthorizedRequirementsYou must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.